Vascular Access Flow during Dialysis: Does Needle Orientation Matter?

Background: Monitoring of vascular access outflow (VAO) in dialysis is based on the indicator dilution method by ultrasound (UD). The role of arterial needle orientation in VAO measurement is not clear. We compared the impact of the retrograde (RET) versus the antegrade orientation (ANT) in terms of (a) VAO (UD) and (b) dialysis adequacy. Moreover, we compared VAO (UD ANT and RET orientation) with VAO measured by Doppler ultrasound. Methods: 22 patients participated in the study. Inclusion criteria: Dialysis > 6 months with a functioning AVF, no stenosis, no active infection, EF > 45% and informed consent. 4 flow measurements were taken on the same dialysis day (4 consecutive weeks). To account for blood pressure variation, we “corrected” VAO for a mean arterial pressure of 100 mmHg. Doppler VAO was measured just before dialysis. Means were compared by the paired t-test. For correlation and agreement, linear regression and Bland-Altman analysis were performed respectively. Results: Mean VAO (UD) was higher in the (ANT) versus the (RET) orientation: 1286.17 mL/min (SD = 455.78, 95%CI = 1084–1488) versus 1189.96 mL/min (SD = 401.05, 95%CI = 1012–1368) (p = 0.013) with a mean difference of 96.21 mL/min (5.66%). Mean Kt/V (RET orientation) was 1.57 (SD = 0.10, 95%CI = 1.52–1.61) versus 1,55 (SD = 0.10, 95%CI = 1.50–1.60) (ANT) orientation (p = 0.062). Recirculation was always 0%. The mean VAO (Doppler) was 1079.54 mL/min (SD = 356.04, 95%CI = 922–1237), 16% lower than VAO measured by UD with (ANT) orientation (p = 0.009) and 9.3% lower than the VAO in the (RET) orientation (p = 0.113). Linear regression analysis showed that VA flows (ANT versus RET) orientation of the needle correlates well between them (r = 0.93, p < 0.001) but show poor agreement (Bland–Altman analysis). Conclusion: VAO (UD) in the RET orientation was significantly lower than VAO in the ANT orientation and more consistent with VAO assessed by Doppler without influencing dialysis adequacy. Therefore, when using UD for VAO surveillance, the RET orientation should be used.